Chapter 8: Agonising Pain
"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?"
•
Steve, Dustin, Max and Lucas were walking along in the dark when they heard rustling, followed by a loud slam. Their heads snapped round to see a dark figure curled up on the ground about 100 metres away, half on a tree stump, half on the ground.
"You okay there?" Steve shouted to the person, when he received no reply, his heart sped up and he got his bat out, starting to walk towards the figure, the kids close behind him. "Hello? You okay?"
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Eve. Her eyes were closed and it looked as if she was breathing shallowly, a gash on her side and a scratch on her cheek.
"Eve?!" Steve exclaimed, running and dropping to his knees beside her, his bat forgotten on the ground. His worst nightmare was coming reality right in front of him. Max, Dustin and Lucas watched their friend in surprise, shock and horror.
Eve let out a small whimper in response, but otherwise didn't move. She couldn't, she was in so much pain and she was so tired. She'd got out of the tunnels and ran for miles, further than she'd ever been - with the added pain of cuts, gashes and bruises.
Her adrenaline had ran out, she was drained and pain had settled in. She felt like she was dying - and she probably was from blood loss.
Steve carefully moved his sister over so that she was lying on her back. That was when he saw large cuts down her neck and on her shoulder like claw marks and the pained look in her eyes.
His heart rate increased slightly as he began to sweat, his thoughts rushing through his head without any time to process them. He didn't know what to do.
"What happened to her?" Max asked worriedly as her eyes traced over the cuts. She couldn't even begin to fathom the amount of pain Eve was in.
"Dart and his friends is my guess," Lucas says, sending a glare to Dustin who was staring at his crush in shock. All he ever wanted to do was impress the girl with Dart, and now she'd been attacked by it.
Steve's blood ran cold and he quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around Eve carefully, seeing how she was shivering aggressively.
Steve grabbed his little sister, lifting her into his arms. He didn't mind that Eve was a teenager and didn't weigh the same as she did when she was 4 or that his arms were shaking.
Eve screamed in pain as Steve accidentally pressed onto the gash on her side over the jacket, but Steve didn't move his hand. He had to apply pressure, no matter if it hurt her or not.
He tried to silence the screams by 'shh'ing her quietly, as if she was a baby. All he cared about was taking Eve to safety. "Eve? I'm taking you to the hospital. You need medical attention ASAP." He said softly as Eve whimpered into his shoulder and Dustin moved some of the hair out of Eve's bloody and sweaty face.
That caused a stir from the girl, who gasped and rasped out, "No hospital. Please." She shuddered with each breath and Steve couldn't help the pain in his heart from seeing her like this. His baby sister who he was supposed to protect.
"Where else do you expect me to take you? You're in a lot of pain and probably have to go to the hospital." Steve says to her, trying to not worry her too much as Lucas takes a step away from the girl, not liking the sight of all the blood.
"The lab. Take me... to the lab," Eve whispered. She didn't say anything else, but she was quivering pretty badly. Steve pushed Eve's face into his neck, cradling her to his chest much like a baby as he contemplated.
Eve obviously needed some medical attention urgently, but he didn't know her situation with her powers or why she was like this. He had no idea what was going on or what he had to do.
"What are we gonna do?" Dustin asked as he grabbed Steve's bat, and the truth is... Steve didn't know.
She's in pain, cut, and bruised, and Steve couldn't do a damn thing about it.
Steve ignored the question from the Henderson boy, knowing fully well he had no idea what to do.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Max asked as Steve began to walk. She couldn't keep her eyes off of the girl and took her hand that rested over Steve's shoulder. She squeezed it, hoping for a squeeze back, but nothing. Eve didn't have the energy to.
-
They walked all the way to the lab, hoping to find someone who could help them. When they came out of the woods they heard a voice.
"Hello? Who's there?"
"Steve?"
"Nancy?"
"Johnathan?"
"Eve?" Nancy and Johnathan both said at the same time, looking at the shaking and injured girl in Steve's arms. Eve didn't reply, not able to.
Steve, Lucas, Dustin and Max had talked to Eve the whole way to the lab, trying to get replies to make sure she was still awake, she'd only replied in grunts, but it was good enough.
"What are you doing here?" Nancy asks them, her eyes staying on Eve's body - she thought of Eve as a younger sister, they'd become friends over the year. Even though her and Steve's relationship had ended badly, she still cared deeply for the younger Harrington, seeing her hurt really pained Nancy.
"What are you doing here?" Steve asks them as they all walk closer to each other. Eve's eyes opened slightly to look at the two teenagers in front of them before closing them again and sighing out softly into Steve's neck, trying to suppress the urge to scream when Steve's hand moved slightly over her wound.
"Looking for Mike and Will, you?" Johnathan asks them, putting a hand through his hair in anxiety - he just wanted Will and his mother to be okay.
"Looking for help," Steve replies, gesturing to Eve with his head.
"They're not in there, are they?"
Dustin then asks, looking at the lab. Eve said she needed to go there, but it looked like it was more dangerous inside than outside.
"We're not sure," Nancy says to him, "why?" Before anything could be said they heard growls and screams from the lab. Steve looked down at his sister who was quickly losing blood.
"Try to stay awake, Okay Eve?" Steve says, "pretend Sleep is the enemy, you gotta stay awake because us Harrington's..."
"Don't..." Eve whispered out through shaky lips, "like... t-to..." before she could finish, Jonathan was questioning what happened to her and everyone started to talk over everyone. Steve had carefully lay Eve on the ground, his arms too tired to hold her. Dustin sat down next to the girl's body before his eyes latched onto something.
"Wait, What the hell?" Dustin shouted over everyone. Everyone looked at him, confused as to what he was on about as he grabbed Eve's wrist, turning it over.
"012? What's that?" Max asks, seeing the cut. Someone had definitely done that, that wasn't by any creature.
"You've got to be shitting me!" Dustin shouts in anger, "they tried to tag her! Like they did Eleven! That's why we called her Eleven because she had 011 on her wrist!"
"Wait, Wait, Wait," Steve cut him off, "does that mean..."
"Yes, Steve. They were planning on locking her away, never to be seen again - just to be a weapon against the commies!" Dustin says and Steve's jaw clenches in anger.
Max's eyes stayed trained on Eve's wrist. The girl was telling the truth about El. She had been all along - she wanted to keep Max safe. Nancy's next words took Max out of her many thoughts.
"The power's back."
-
"Bu-bub," Eve whispered out. Steve turned his head to look at his sister. He was sat next to her, her head on his legs, "it-it hurts."
"I know, I know," Steve whispered quietly, "we're trying to get help, I promise."
"She's losing a lot of blood," Dustin says walking over to the two. Max was pacing in the back, her eyes on Eve as she bit her nail. She felt powerless.
"Don't you think I know that, dipshit?" Steve asked Dustin, more snappy than usual. But what can you expect, Eve could be dying. He didn't want his sister to be dead.
"I think I know how to help it," Dustin says to him as he takes off his belt. Steve gives him a weird look, but watches as the younger boy carefully wraps the belt around Eve's waist, just above the giant gash. He tightens the belt around her, making her cry out quietly.
"Shh, Shh," Dustin hushes her as he tightens it more and more, "it's a tourniquet, it'll help slow the bleeding."
"Thanks, Henderson," Steve says and sends the boy a thankful nod. Dustin smiles in return, looking back for at his crush and smiling wider, knowing he'd helped her.
-
They were still standing outside, not knowing what to do, Eve was so close to unconsciousness the only replies they could get out of her were little hums or groans when suddenly Hopper appeared in his car, Joyce's behind his.
"Get In! Get in!" Hopper shouted. The kids all climbed into the back while Steve got in the front with Eve. Eve mumbled something quietly as she sighed slowly into Steve's neck, trying her hardest to stay awake for him. There was even blood on her lips - she was in so much pain.
"She's alive?" Hopper breathes looking at Eve with wide eyes that were filled with relief. He thought she was dead in the tunnels with the other soldiers. He had no idea she'd made it.
"Not if you don't drive fast," Steve says to the cop, who nods his head and speeds off, his mind full of thoughts.
"Keep pressure on her wounds," Hopper says, as Dustin leans in the middle with a jacket he'd found on the floor. He bundled it up in his hands before pushing it onto Eve's wound.
Eve cried out, making Dustin close his eyes for a second. Steve 'shh'ed the girl as Dustin held the fabric in place.
"You're okay, you're okay," Steve whispers to Eve as a tear falls from the younger girl's eye, "you just gotta stay awake a little bit longer, okay? Just a little bit longer..."
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